Here Paul is on a journey, planning to go to Asia and
preach there. However, the Spirit of the Lord did not permit him. Why did God's Spirit
stop him? We don't know. Maybe He knew it would be a waste of time to preach to them, for
shortly before his death, he wrote that all of the churches in Asia turned against him.
Paul's journey was similar to Abraham's journey in that he was not
sure where God would lead him. Many people are led by different things, but Paul was
guided by the Holy Spirit. People have their goals in life, but Paul's goal was to serve
God with a perfect heart. God ruled supreme in his life. After Paul worked out his plans
to go to Asia, God's Spirit changed it. So he drew up another plan, but God cut across it
again, and immediately Paul dropped his plans and followed God's leading.
We see a man who knew what it meant to be led by God's Spirit.
Many Christians simply follow their own ideas or the world's direction. The world and its
fashions drives them. However, Paul's gospel is to be led by God's Spirit in all things -
"not my will, but Thy will be done". Is this the life that you know?
You do not fall into sin when God's Spirit leads you! Does He not
warn you and guide you? Consider the seven letters in Revelations "let him who has an
ear to hear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches". Not one church is excluded!
If you are not led by the Spirit of God what is the reason? Is it because you are led by
your own ideas, idols, lusts, man's opinions, etc. These idols must be broken in your
life.
As Paul wanted to go to Asia, he had a vision of a man
from Macedonia crying for help. The next morning he probably got up and shared
with the team about the vision. They altered their course and went to Philippi, a leading
city of Macedonia.
Three examples of how God helped different people
through this altered course:
1. On the Sabbath, he went outside the city to the riverside,
where he met Lydia, a woman who feared God and was also a businesswoman - a seller of
purple fabrics. You cannot stop a true worshipper of God, even if they are stopped in the
city, they will simply go outside to worship God. Here Paul met these women, not to woo or
flirt with them, or speak of worldly things, but in obedience to God's guidance and call.
Lydia and her household gave their lives to the Lord and were baptised.
2. Afterwards a girl with a spirit of divination followed them,
saying, "These men show you the way of salvation", but Paul did not want to be
introduced by a demon. So he commanded the demon to depart from the girl, and she was
delivered.
Her masters, who made money from her divination, chastised and
threw him and Silas into prison, where they sang God's praises. God sent an earthquake and
opened the prison doors.
3. Then the jailer and his household also came to know the Lord.
According to some historians within 150 years, the whole area
there was known as a Christian country. Day after day people were added to their number.
Do people find the Lord through your life because He rules supreme in you?
Because of one man who knew the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and
had a living relationship with Jesus Christ, the whole history of mankind was changed.
Let Christ rule supreme in your life and countless people can be
helped.
